Two days after resigning, former Tri-County board members Barry Hutto and Jeff Reeves wrote this letter to employees at the Tri-County Electric Cooperative.
Original Title
Letter from former Tri-County board members Barry Hutto and Jeff Reeves
Two days after resigning, former Tri-County board members Barry Hutto and Jeff Reeves wrote this letter to employees at the Tri-County Electric Cooperative.
Two days after resigning, former Tri-County board members Barry Hutto and Jeff Reeves wrote this letter to employees at the Tri-County Electric Cooperative.
19 May 2018
Employees of T-County Electric Cooperative,
With sadness and deep regret, we announce our immediate resignation from the Tri-County
Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees. Fist and foremost, we would like to extend our utmost
‘appreciation to each and every one of the members ofthe Tri-County family, whose exceptional work
ethic and persistent dedication to serving the members ofthe cooperative have made ita true honor
to represent during our combined 30-year tenure as members of the Board of Trustees. During our
‘two decades of service to Ti County Electric Cooperative, we can both say, without hesitation, that
every decision we have made has been inthe best interests ofthe employees, members and
cooperative. Unfortunately, we have recently found that our efforts on the part ofthe cooperative
have been hindered by a lack of unity on the board. thas been disheartening to witness the board
transform from a unified group of nine into a segregated group with a majority whose reasonable
judgment is seemingly clouded by self-interests and the desire to participate in practices notin
keeping with the spirit of family we have tried to support. This behavior and attitude have clearly
been reflected in the majority's strong opposition tothe adoption ofthe new by-laws. These bylaws
Were introduced in an attempt to enforce transparency and integrity among board members by
restricting board compensation and by outlining the expected conduct of trustees, Resistance to
adopt such changes has raised questions regarding the board's true intentions in serving the
‘members of the cooperative. When our opinions no longer were heard and we could not get answers
to our questions concerning why certain decisions were being made and in some cases rescinded
{rom earlier favorable ones, we knew that we had to step down, Despite no longer serving on the
Board of Trustees, we will continue to work to ensure that the best interests of the stakeholders of|
‘Twi Country Electric Cooperative are served. its time for change at Tr-County, and we are dedicated
to helping to restore accountability and ethical leadership across all aspects of this organization
Sincerely,
Barry Hutto
Jeff Reeves